Sermon - The Rev. Leah D.
Schade
Reformation Lutheran Church, Media, PA, 7-20-08
Sermon Series: Mountaintop Experience
Moses on Mt. Horeb
Today we come to the second story in our series on Mountains in the
Bible. We learned last week that mountains are places of religious
significance and symbolism because they are where humans often encounter the
divine. Last week, we had the passage of Noah encountering God on Mt.
Ararat after the flood when God put the rainbow in the sky as a promise that
God would never again destroy the earth by flood. Today we hear the story
of Moses on the mountain and his encounter with God. Now this mountain is
known by different names, depending on different tribal customs.
Sometimes it is called Mt. Horeb, as it’s known in this story. And later
it is called Mt. Sinai, its more famous name. However it’s called, it is
located near the tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
You know, Moses’ story begins with an interesting correlation to the
Noah story. You may remember that Moses was born at the time when the
Israelite people were slaves in Egypt. Despite their being subjected to
extremely oppressive conditions, the Israelite people grew in numbers and
strength. So much so, that the Egyptians were worried that they would be
outnumbered and overpowered by the Israelites. So the Pharaoh issued a
decree that all male babies born to the Israelites were to be drowned in the
Nile river. So, as the legend goes, when Moses was born, his mother
placed him in a basket of woven reeds covered in pitch to keep it dry.
She placed the basket in the bulrushes of the Nile near to where Pharoah’s
daughter was bathing with her consorts. As the infant floated by, the
Egyptian princess was moved with pity and took the baby to raise it as her own,
ironically, in the very palace of the Pharoah.
How interesting that the baby
Moses is placed in a basket on the water to preserve his life. The Hebrew
word for the basket is tebah, which actually means ark! It’s the same
word used for the boat that Noah was in during the flood - tebah. Noah
and his family and all the animals survived the flood in the ark - essentially
a big basket floating on the water. And just as the ark contained the
seeds of life that would survive the flood and repopulate the earth, Moses
survives the flood of violence against his people by floating in that miniature
ark, and he goes on to be the rescuer of the Israelites, with the help of God.
Just as Noah gathered all those animals, Moses gathered together the Hebrews
after the plagues decimated Egypt, and led them out of slavery into freedom and
eventually the Promised Land.
And both men, of course, encounter God on top of a mountain. Noah hears
God’s promise on Mt. Ararat. And Moses receives a promise from God
as well on Mt. Horeb. Now why was Moses on this mountain in the first
place? Well after the adopted Egyptian prince grew up, he saw a slave
master beating one of his Hebrew compatriots. Moses was so angry with
this cruelty that he lashed out at the slave master and killed him. He
then had to flee to the mountainous land of the Midians to escape the wrath of
Pharoah. He settled with a family there who took him in and allowed him
to marry into their clan. This was Jethro, the priest of Midian, and Moses
worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law.
Which brings us to the episode we have today: Moses at the Burning
Bush. I really like this story because of the symbolism of the holy
fire. Let’s take a moment and marvel at what takes place here.
Moses is walking along behind the sheep, and he’s in the desert, so he’s
diligently searching for a place that has enough food and water for these
sheep. He’s by himself, and he takes a notion to lead the flock up the
mountainside. Certainly he’s following a path that generations of
shepherds have walked before him. Suddenly, Moses spots an extraordinary
phenomenon: a bush is burning, yet is not consumed. Now we don’t know how long
that bush had been glowing with fire like that, just waiting for the right person
to come along. How many times might God be trying to speak to people, but
because they are not expecting it, they pass right by, the sign going
unnoticed.
And yet here is a remarkable sight - like a beacon trying to get someone’s
attention, this bush is completely engulfed in flame. Moses
notices. He pays attention. His curiosity is aroused and he steps
off the path to see what’s going on. In that moment, as soon as he
abandons the path, steps off into the unknown, that is when he hears the voice of
God.
He is told first to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy
ground. Removing one’s shoes is both a sign of respect, and also
indicates that the person is allowing themselves to be vulnerable.
Remember Moses is walking in the desert - hot ground, sharp stones. He’s
taking a risk by obeying this command. But God is essentially assuring
him that, yes, it is safe for you to expose your tender feet to this
earth. Open yourself to what you are about to encounter. You are
going to absorb the holiness of this ground, right through the soles of your
feet.
God then speaks to Moses and charges him with the responsibility of saving the
Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. It is a fascinating exchange between
this hesitant shepherd living in exile as a fugitive from the law, and
this God who indicates his caring for the Israelite people and his intention to
free them from their oppressors.
The question that intrigues
me is this: why would God choose to appear to Moses in the form of a
burning bush? I did a fair amount of research to see if I could find a
similar story in the bible or in any other religious traditions. This is
the only story I found. Not that there aren’t lots of sacred myths
involving holy fire. In nearly every religion, fire has been the symbol
of the Divine. Brahman is fire in Hinduism. Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism is
fire. Fire symbolizes the brilliance of God. It represents light,
purification, creativity, illumination. And in every religion fire finds a
place in rituals. Think of Christianity, how Jesus is called “the Light
of the world.” We do wonderful liturgies with fire around the Holy Week
services of Good Friday and Saturday Vigil. And our festival of Pentecost
is about the Tongues of Fire inspiring the disciples to carry Christ’s message
into all the world.
But as far as I can tell, this story of the burning bush is unique to the
Jewish tradition and is found only in this one divine encounter with this
particular pivotal figure of Moses. Why? Why would God manifest
God’s self in such a way? Well let’s examine exactly what God is saying
to Moses here. God is telling Moses that the cries of his oppressed
kinfolk have been noticed, have been heeded, and are about to be
answered. The Israelites are an embattled people from the time God calls
Abraham into his service. Time and again they are thrown into the fire,
so to speak.
And while Moses doesn’t know it then, there are more fires ahead - 40 years of
wandering in the desert, deadly battles as they enter the Promised Land,
internal strife between the twelve tribes, the destruction of their temple and
the Babylonian captivity, the conquering of their land by the Romans and a
second destruction of their temple. On and on throughout history right up
to modern times with the anti-Semitism Jews continue to face. And, of
course, the worst fire the human race has known thus far -- the Shoah, the
fires of Buchenwald, Auschwitz and the other Nazi concentration camps that
literally incinerated millions of Jewish people.
But what does God say to Moses when he asks, “Who am I, that I should go before
Pharoah?” God says, “I will be with you.” And when Moses asks, “Who
should I say that you are?” God says, simply, “I AM.” I exist. I
have always existed, I will continue to exist. No fire can consume
God. I have always been with you. I will continue to be with you.
The message is clear and unequivocal. You will meet many problems; you
will be subjected to many fires, but I will always be with you and sustain you.
Think of the pillar of fire that accompanied the Israelites as they fled Egypt,
heading for the Sea. And when Moses comes back to this same mountain he
again encounters the Holy Fire when he receives the Ten Commandments.
God’s promise to Moses is the same promise that God makes to all oppressed and
embattled people, be they individuals or entire communities.
This is important as we celebrate our partnership with the people of Pangani in
Tanzania. They, too, are a people living in desert conditions, subjected
to extreme poverty. Like most nations in Africa, their communities are
threatened by the consuming fires of AIDS, political upheaval, and
environmental crises. And yet they do not lose hope. The members of
the churches in Pangani gather faithfully every week to hear the stories of
God’s promised presence and deliverance. The fire at the center of their
worship is one of light and peace and gives meaning to their lives.
We, too, gather around the holy fire to be reminded that though the flames of
life may appear to be all-consuming, in the great mystery of God’s presence, we
are sustained. And this gives us great hope.
Because there are many times when I have worried that the fire will consume me
or those I love, whether it be through disease, violence, or even death itself.
Here is the hope we must cling to as we stand with Moses on that mountaintop
gazing at the humble bush that burns but is not consumed. Even death
itself cannot destroy us. Even those we love who have been engulfed by
death - even they are in the very presence of God.
No fire can destroy God. God exists. God has always existed.
God will exist forever. And God is with us now and forevermore.
Amen.
Sources:
Appel’s Parsha Page, Rabbi Yehuda Appel, Aish Hatorah, Clevelend;
http://www.aish.com/torahportion/appel/Moses_at_the_Burning_Bush.asp
Moore, James F., Christian Theology After the Shoah; University Press of
America, 2004